I won a charm pack in a bloggy giveaway and discovered that the colors go perfectly with my celery-green walls and red and brown accents. So I bought some more fabric ("Panache") to go with, and made a wall hanging. Here it is on my design floor - I am awaiting my (first!) quilt hanger so I can mount it. It measures about 44 x 35.

The back:

OK, so the wall isn't that huge - it's about 11 feet. But it LOOKS huge with nothing on it! I've been looking at that crack in the plaster (we've tried several methods to fill in and/or cover the crack, all to no avail) for over 15 years now, waiting to find just the right print or mirror or...something...to cover it up. What do you think? Constructive criticism most appreciated!

Round 2 of the ORBC quiltalong. My third finish. I used HSTs to make my zigzag, though you can use rectangles to make them too. I had been hoarding these scroll prints for a long time and my daughter found the batik fabric to go with (ain't she clever?).

I had lots of fun and lots of frustration with this one - definitely a learning experience! The most important thing I learned this round was: get a 1/4-inch foot! Turns out my 1/4-inch is a few threads short. I had several seams pop when I washed it. I shed tears, then I fixed it. A few patches and lots of extra quilting to protect the seams I did not patch. Because it's a frivolous design to begin with, and is triangle-based, I put lots of arrows in. The patches are arrows and I also quilted arrows up and down those rows of color. The quilt is intended for a longtime friend and his wife - hopefully they love me enough to overlook its flaws. Our many debates led me to the quilt name: "Point Taken." I hope that my friend, who loves the Beatles, will appreciate the arrows - I kept thinking of "Yellow Submarine" while making them!

p.s. - After the second round of quilting I washed it again and put it through the dryer with a few tennis balls - I figured that would be a good seam test! It held, yay!

I love the Biscornu form but usually I see them done in cross-stitch; alas, not a talent I possess at this time. I found a terrific tutorial http://quiltsalott.blogspot.com/2009/05/biscornu-pincushion.html online the other day so I tried it - success! A little fiddly at the corners but overall very easy and a pleasing result, don't you think?

First quilt, second finish (I got caught up in a quilt-along and left this waiting to be bound for a shameful period). I've been working on this for months, with long breaks between each major step. It's for my daughter. Smallish Twin size - she has a loft bed so we didn't want much overhang.

The front - the shallows, where the colorful and fun stuff hang:

The back - the deeps, where it's darker and the fish are bigger:

A dappled-shade shot:

I didn't make a label but I did jab myself with a needle and bleed on one of the (white) corners. So I did leave my mark of Love for the kid.

I joined the quilt along at the Old Red Barn Co blog. It was a terrific opportunity to have deadlines for each part of the project and lots of support along the way. The final product is a little bit wonky but it's cheery and bright and all mine and I love it. Fabric line is Washtub Butterflies.

My husband's cousin just lucked into a bunch of items from a quilter's home. She asked me to identify this tool and I'm asking for your help. I have not seen the item in person, but the handle appears to close the notch at the top there; there's a long spring along the side....

I just entered my Moby in the Interweave contest, "the Beaded Book." He has taken me since July and has been a terrific learning experience. I have no illusions about his chances of actually becoming a finalist - there are some serious beaders out there in the world - but I've become very fond of him, and have rethought my former interpretations of the novel through repeated reading while working on this project. Hope you enjoy him!

Finished whale - on my piano:

He has huge teeth - the jaw was a right pain to work.

I had fun giving him battle scars from an old fight with a giant squid, the sperm whale's primary (aside from man) enemy:

His tail is straight bead embroidery:

Now go re-read your Melville and decide for yourself - if the battle is Good Against Evil, and also Ahab against The Whale, which is which?

DD wanted to be a killer bunny victim. Felt hood based on the London Hood tutorial - felt with silver-mesh second layer. A snail was the silly icon we appliqued on her tabard (it wasn't the silliest I could think of but it was the one DD approved). Ribbons for bloody effect.

DS wanted to be the Black Knight. Felt tabard and belt, a reconned turtleneck with felt and velcro for the removeable arm, posterboard, cardboard and spraypaint helm (DH's contribution - ain't he clever?)

I made a second one - it took me a shamefully long time to complete. Not as professional looking as many of these, but I didn't use interfacing - I like to fold my bags for storage. I DID use two linings - one is an old shower curtain, to help with water resistance. Also put a layer of plastic canvas in the bottom so it stands nicely. This one is for a friend.

Stuffed (with a couple of pillows, it stands better with an even load!):